Evacuated. Tired. Waiting.
Feeling a little guilty to have fled my apartment in downtown NYC in advance of Hurricane Irene. This guilt is somewhat assuaged by the fact that the “excitement” would have consisted mainly of sitting in the dark listening to the wind howl (If you live in Battery Park City, you will know that the wind howls there even in ordinary storms–the place is a wind tunnel.)
My guilt is also assuaged by the mandatory evacuation, which, despite the inconvenience,certainly eased the decision-making. When presented with the option not of sitting out the storm in your apartment, but HIDING out there, the dithering ceases abruptly.
The air felt hot, ominous, as we left the City late last night on a full commuter train, and even upstate (where we’ve sought refuge) has a brooding quality, clouds heavy, landscape lit from beneath. Everything at ground level seems to be waiting, a little petulantly, a little fearfully, overly hot; there is a slightly feverish quality even in the grass, and my personal energy has dropped lower than the barometer.
Maybe a good time for a lie-down, like the ground itself. Good luck all!
Explore posts in the same categories: New York CityTags: brooding sky, evacuating Battery Park City, Hurricane Irene, manicddaily, sitting out Hurricane
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ManicDDaily 
August 27, 2011 at 7:02 pm
HI Karin,
Good to hear you’re someplace safe. I’ve never been in a hurricane but we had a really bad storm come through here earlier this summer with up to 80-90 mph winds and I wish I could have missed it.
~Charles
August 27, 2011 at 7:25 pm
Hi Charles! Thanks. Of course, a small part of me misses the drama, but I really would not have liked staying without electricity in someone’s apartment or at my office! There’s a bit more space here, and I think the storm will only cause heavy rain. Hope you are well. K.